HAJAR GULIYEVA, A PARTICIPANT OF OUR LEARNING HUBS PROGRAMME, EXPLAINS WHY ENGLISH INSPIRES HER TO EXPLORE NEW IDEAS AND PUT THEM INTO ACTION.
Participating in the Learning Hub activities in Ganja has been an amazing chance for me and my friends – a stepping stone for us to achieve our dreams.
I am putting in extra effort to learn English and improve my skills every day. My parents tell me that this will help me build a successful career and a better future for myself, but I also want to make sure that I can contribute to my community and country when I am older.
That is why I joined the learning hub and I don’t regret it.
Proving my skills
I’ve learned a lot from my experiences in the past year – my listening, writing, reading and speaking skills are now on another level! Being able to freely express myself in any language, but especially English, opens up a world of opportunities. This also helped me unlock my hidden talents. I’ve discovered my leadership abilities and I’m now pushing my friends and teachers to voice their opinions, discuss and reach new heights as a team.
I used to struggle when trying to express my thoughts. But now, my confidence has soared. I am improving my language and learning new things every day.
Widening my world
My teachers’ efforts have been amazing. They’ve introduced the latest innovations and approaches that are not usual in other schools in my city. We recently started debating classes that cover real-world problems, such as environmental sustainability, food security, cultural relations and global communication.
Thanks to this, I can communicate and share my ideas online through blogging.
I joined a Learning Hubs’ essay competition last summer, passed my exams and had a chance to join a five-day summer camp – an amazing experience that widened my horizons. It was exciting to meet the Ambassador and the finalists of our exchange programme in person!
Forging my future
Soon I will have to make decisions that will shape my further education and I feel prepared. I haven’t decided what I’ll study yet, but I know I want to learn about new cultures and make new friends from all over the world.
I would like to say thank you to those who made Learning Hubs possible, and for providing our school with all the equipment and learning materials that make a real difference to young people like me. I will continue to improve my language and skills, so that one day I could represent my country on an international stage.
About the programme:
The Learning Hubs: Improved Skills for Stronger Societies is a three-year programme that will develop young people’s skills so that they can build confidence and have better access to educational and career pathways in the future.
It will support the development of cohesive, stable and prosperous communities in 5 Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries including Azerbaijan by building resilience and developing diverse skills.
The British Council has designed and developed the programme, with funding from the UK Government. It will also implement the programme with the support of its partners in selected isolated communities of each EaP country. Male and female young learners will gain equal access to the opportunities provided by the programme.
